Weekend Roundup: Doggies on The Catwalk, Silence The Shame, and No Kid Hungry

Weekends in Atlanta this time of year are filled with fun benefits, parties and more. Here the latest scoop for our Weekend Roundup in Atlanta.

Doggies Rule the Catwalk and Celebrate 10 Years

Hundreds of the most stylish and giving Atlantans turned out Saturday evening for the 10th Annual Doggies on A Catwalk to benefit Canine Assistants, a non-profit organization that trains and provides service dogs to children and adults with physical disabilities, seizure conditions or other special needs. In addition to providing loyal companionship, the service dogs are trained to help with essential everyday tasks – from turning lights on and off and opening and closing doors – to pulling wheelchairs, retrieving dropped objects and summoning help.

Despite a brush with some showers, the evening turned out to be a huge success with gorgeous models, fashion and the true stars: the canine assistants. E. Vincent Martinez, who founded the event 10 years ago was honored by the organization when they named a service puppy after him to show their appreciation for all his hard work. Below, Vincent carries Vincent down the runway.

E. Vincent Martinez

Local celebrities took to the runway, dressed by the season’s most sought after looks from top designers and brands such as AKRIS, Alice + Olivia, COS, Jimmy Choo, Les Copains, Kit + Ace, Monck Mason, NARS, TODS and Theory, which were modeled by local notable personalities such as D’anne Heckert, Courtney Cicero, Michelle Crosland, Jennifer Balcos, and Alex Page. Monica Pearson, served as the emcee and did a fabulous job. Sponsors of the event which took place at the Plaza Center at the Shops Buckhead Atlanta included Porsche, Modern Luxury and UCB.

29th Annual Taste of the Nation Once Again a Success

Atlanta’s elite gathered in their black-tie best recently for the 29th Annual No Kid Hungry event where 100% of the proceeds were donated to Share Our Strength’s No Kid Hungry campaign to end childhood hunger in America. The fundraiser, focusing on food and wine was a huge success and the live auction, music and overall ambience

The city’s premier culinary benefit brought together Atlanta’s most celebrated chefs and mixologists for an evening of fine food, wine and fundraising. Guest enjoyed music by Soul Spin (Youth), four piece band Java Jones and Event Performance violinist. In addition to the Grand Tasting, this year’s event introduced a new and exclusive culinary VIP Dinner Experience, which featured a multi-course dinner (prepared table side) by one of ten of Atlanta’s most influential chefs, accompanying a selection of wine pairings.

Leading this year’s event as chairmen were Pano Karatassos, founder and CEO of the Buckhead Life Restaurant Group, and George McKerrow, President and CEO of Ted’s Montana Grill. Cat Cora, TV personality and restaurateur, served as Honorary Chef and Entertainer, Restaurateur and Partner of Chicken + Beer, Chris ‘Ludacris’ Bridges, was the evening’s Honorary Chair.

The live auction started off with a bang. Ludacris got on stage with a steering wheel signed by the man himself and got the crowd excited and the bids flowing. In fact, the wheel sold for an impressive $2500. We can’t wait to see what the 30th Anniversary next year has in store.

#SilenceTheShame

Atlanta-based entertainment exec Shanti Das successfully dedicated a day (and an entire weekend) to her message Silence the Shame based on shining a light on mental health and not letting stigma get in the way of getting the help you need. Shanti, who has worked with the likes of Usher, TLC, Prince, Toni Braxton and more, started the initiative last year. For 2017, many celebrities have attached themselves to the cause, doing a PSA and asking people to join the conversation. Check out this video where Nick Cannon, Jeezy, Will Packer, Takeo Spikes and many others make their plea for the community to Silence the Shame and address mental health.